Sick rat?

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Bri5324

New Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2019
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Location
Winnipeg mb
I need a little help here I took my 2 rats to the vet last Tuesday to check if everything’s fine cause I’ve noticed when they’rebreathing they make a whistle noise, the vet checked there breathing and said everything sounded fine. But I’m still noticing it and there sneezing a little more but still eating and drinking and haven't noticed a lot ofporphyren just a tiny bit around there nose. Also the vet is my friends mom so should Ilet them know or just keep an eye on my rats? Because she said as long as they’restill eating and drinking just to keep an eye on them for labourer breathing but I’m a new rat owner and am not really sure what that’s supposed to look like.
 
Does the vet have experience treating rats? Rats hide sickness often until they are extremely sick. When you hold them to your ear like a telephone (rat phone) and listen to their lungs, does it sound rattly, or like bubbles or rice crispies popping? If so, you need to take them back, or to a vet with rat experience, and have them checked out. They are a little different to treat than a cat or dog. If they put them on antibiotics, they will need to be on them for 4-6 weeks to be able to take care of the infection. Often times they are only given 10 days of antibiotics, and the symptoms start to clear in a couple of days, so the vet thinks that sufficient, but it's not.

How old are the rats? How long have you had them? Where did you get them? What is their cage setup like, and where are they kept? What are you feeding them?

New home sneezes are normal. But if it's more than that, or lasts more than a few days, or if they stop eating or drinking like normal, it may be worth just going in and getting them on antibiotics.

If you post a video of how they are breathing, and playing or interacting with you on YouTube, then copy and paste the link on here, we may be able to help you better.
 
The vet I went to treats smaller animals but I’m not sure how many times she’s treated rats. When u bring them up to my ear there no popping or any of that it just sounds like breathing the only thing I hear is when there sniffing the air and I hear the whistle noise. I feed them the oxbow young mouse and rat blocks and some vegetables. I got my rats the 31 of December and there about 4 months old. There cage is beside my bed but I find my room get kind of cold I’m not sure how to keep it at the same temperature to keep them from being cold. I clean there cage once a day for poop and all that stuff and fully clean there cage once a week but if I noticed the sheets that I have in there baskets r dirtier then normal I’ll clean them with non scented detergent. The said to keep and eye on them if you notice anything different and I’m frienfs with her daughter so I can text her if I have any issues I’m just not sure what to look for if my rats are sick. I am unable to upload a video because it keeps saying error.
 
Here’s a video of my rat Gus Gus breathing while sleeping I’m not sure how to look for laboured breathing so I’m not sure if this is normally how they breath or if it’s somerhing I need to worry about


 
If they are having trouble breathing, a lot of times you'll notice their sides kinda sinking in and them using their abdominal muscles to breathe, and sometimes they will hang their head down over their baskets or shelves. It could be due to the temps being low too. Maybe get a small space heater, and put it on low on the other side of the room. Make sure there are no drafts, etc.
 
@Dena thank you I’m gonna try and get a space heater for my room and see if that changes anything. I noticed my rat Gus Gus the white one hangs his head from his hammock but it’s not all the time but I’ve noticed it more frequently that he’s doing that I just don’t know when to bring them in as I’m still in high school and currently don’t have a job and am not sure if my parents will pay for the vet bill and medication.
 
Could stress cause any of this as I have a dog and a cat and my cat loves to sit at the cage and stare at them. I’ve read that if there’s other animals it can stress them out.
 
Omg yes! They are prey to cats, and that could certainly do it! I'd definitely make sure the cat is not allowed anywhere near them or in the same room. Even if you think the cat won't hurt them, cats are naturally curious, and could stick a paw in there and swipe at them to play or something, and seriously injure them or kill them. Also, not many people know this, but organisms in cat saliva will kill small animals. If their teeth break the surface, their saliva enters the blood stream and is almost always a death sentence. I can't imagine how it must feel to have something that naturally wants to harm you sitting right there watching you. I'm sure that is seriously stressful for them.
 
@Dena I’m gonna try and keep my cat out of my room but do you think that’s the cause of the tiny bit of porphyren they have and the weird sound they make when they sniff the air cause when I went to the vet she checked there breathing and I check everyday pretty much and I don’t hear anything unusual. I just can’t afford to go for another vet visit and she tells me the same thing.
 
I'm not sure. I know stress can definitely be a factor in them getting sick though. I'd keep her away, just for their comfort at the very least.
 
@Dena okay I’m gonna keep her away and see if anything changes and I got a space heater for my room to keep the temperature a bit warmer. I’m gonna keep an eye on them for now.
 
Don't keep it too warm. Just around 72- maybe 78 degrees. A comfortable temp for you.
 
Sorry for the weird video but I tried to get close up to hear them breath but this is how there breathing it’s been like this for awhile. I’m concerned but just want to keep an eye on them for now.

 
Hey sorry I keep asking questions but I’m new to owning rats this is my first time and I’m just paranoid there gonna get sick or are already sick. Is there breathing normal in the video or something I should be concerned about?

 
In the video from last night, I hear a whistle sound when they sniff. Is that what you're talking about? I also hear bruxing and boggling. In the one from tonight, I'm not sure....
 
@Dena ya the whistle sound is what I’m talking about. The breeder who I got them from is really good at keeping her rats healthy. So I asked her questions about them breathing and she said it sounded normal and should be fine.
 
@Dena i think the bruxing and boggling is me holding my phone and the way I moved it cuz I was shaking from holding my phone lol cause when I listen to them I don’t hear that.
 

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